It's Fun to Stay at the YMCA!

We family reunioned with the whole Martino clan the last week of June! The weather was awesome, the views were awesome, the people were awesome, the not having to cook any meals or do any clean-up from said meals was awesome! Emery being sick with roseola, puking in our bed in the middle of the night and having the be quarantined and go to urgent care our first day was not so awesome. But on the whole, it was a great vacation!

Some highlights:

Family game night! We played a game where we put shaving cream on our family members' heads and had to throw cheese balls and make them stick.

Eric and I made a great cheeseball throwing team!

And we also did Seran Wrap balls and it was hilarious how into it we all got! So much great energy in that room and so fun!

Playing sand volleyball with a bunch of us adults while the kiddos napped or played together.

Sister's evening just chatting.

Archery with Mckenna, Greta, Carma and two of her kids, and Joseph and his older boys.

McKenna and I Vana Whiting it up!

The crazy hike that was DEFINITELY not stroller friendly even though they had told me over the phone beforehand that it would be. It had amazing views and would have been a super awesome hike for just adults and older kids but was not ideal for little kids due to the cliffs and dangerous river right by the trail! Also poor Eric ended up just carrying the stroller because it was impossible to use on the trail while sweet Uncle Mike ended up carrying Emery almost the whole way and she fell asleep on his shoulder! It was adorable. And I did enjoy the hike I just felt bad that Eric had to carry the stroller for almost the entire 3.5 miles of it!

Anson and Levi setting out for the hike together hand in hand. So cute!!

Emery was so tired and like, "why am I not in my bed right now?!"

Such a trooper of a husband! 

The views were pretty sweet though! 

End of the hike: we made it! (Emery beat us back as she was up ahead with Uncle Mike)

Campfire with smores the last night in the most beautiful clearing ever. It was so fun to see the kids play in a more natural environment.

 

Levi and Evan making a "stew" of grass, flowers and dirt in a gopher hole by the campfire.

Sweet baby Rachel sleeping in Eric's arms

Emery with cousin Katie

Games, including heads up, and chatting with the other adults after the kids were in bed.

Getting to see our kids form new friendships and spend quality time with their cousins!

Levi and Anson painting their wooden planes in the craft center. Levi was a very careful painter. 

The boys (Anson, Hyrum and Levi) with their finished airplanes. 

Emery "holding" baby Rachel

Ben and Emery

 

Emery had a lot of fun climbing into our luggage. She's so silly!

On the night we had to take Emery to Urgent Care, Papi and Nona kept Levi for us and teamed up with him to help create a family portrait out of candy. Levi loves being around his Papi and Nona! 

Mealtimes were cafeteria style and crazy! Loud, lots of teenagers from various camps, and lines for mediocre food. But on the plus side, we often got to eat together and no one had to worry about cooking and cleaning (except cleaning Emery up from the very messy experience of eating in a high chair without a tray!)

Levi loved getting to sit with his cousins for meals! Although I have to say, he did not get as much eating done as he would have if he hadn't! 

I am so grateful for this amazing family of mine and for our tradition of doing family reunions! I am sure we will have many more great ones in the future!